A Florida woman is suing an oral surgeon after a bur that went missing during an extraction was left lodged in her right maxillary sinus for nearly a year, according to a story in the St. Petersburg Times.
Donna Delgado, 35, first visited Dental Health Group in Tampa in August 2008, according to the lawsuit.
She was examined by Ralph Eichstaedt, D.D.S., an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who recommended pulling two decayed teeth, the Times reported.
At some point during the procedure, the bur became "detached and lost," according to Anthony Martino, Delgado's lawyer.
While a follow-up x-ray would have detected the metal piece, Delgado was sent away repeatedly, Martino alleges.
For the next 11 months, she suffered headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, numbness, and sinus infections, according to the lawsuit. In July 2009, she wound up in a hospital emergency room, where the object was finally detected by an MRI. She was referred to another hospital for surgery, and an ear, nose and throat specialist there removed the bur in August 2009.
Delgado reportedly has not yet fully recovered. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial, according to the Times.
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